Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Wednesday, September 2
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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Twins rally, collapse, rally again to beat White Sox. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Souhan: Twins should roll the dice and call up Berrios. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 2 Inside the numbers of Miguel Sano's first two months in the majors. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 3 Twins season-ticket prices inching up in 2016 for some seats. Star Tribune (Walsh) p. 4 Minnesota Twins: Miguel Sano gets 'Septober' off to good start. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Twins: September call-up for pitcher Jose Berrios still possible. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Postgame Twinsights: Glen Perkins converts eventful save after 16-day wait. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Twinsights: Burdi, Walker, Rogers head Twins’ 2015 AFL class. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8 Twinsights: J.R. Graham (shoulder) plays catch, feels better. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8 Limited by injury, Sano slows down HR trot. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 9 After Sano homers, Twins capitalize on errors. MLB.com (Bollinger & Merkin) p. 10 Escobar raising the bar with everyday role. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 11 Walker among prospects headed to AFL. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 12 Ryan, Molitor say decision on prospect Berrios has not yet been made. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 13 Zulgad: Twins GM does impressive job of dodging Berrios queries. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 14 Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Duffey finds trouble, Sano homers, Sox fumble. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 15 Sano’s home run ties game, White Sox kick it away in the next inning. Associated Press p. 16 Twins rally, collapse, rally again to beat White Sox La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | September 1, 2015 Eduardo Escobar has seen enough, and made his feelings known about his teammate Miguel Sano. “In two years,” Escobar said. “He’s going to be the next Miguel Cabrera.” Quite a statement, but Escobar sees Sano’s strength and the way he takes at-bats, and it reminds him of the Tigers’ hitting star. Sano continued his tear on Tuesday by collecting three hits, including his 14th home run in the Twins’ 8-6 victory over the White Sox. Opponents don’t want to pitch to Cabrera in big moments, and Sano is showing that trait 50 games into his career. His home run in the seventh tied the game at 5-5 while bringing Target Field fans to their feet, and it set up the Twins’ three-run eighth, which was fueled by two Chicago errors. Don’t underestimate the timing of Sano’s home run, which came on a 3-2 change up thrown by Nate Jones. The Twins had blown a 4-0 lead at that point and the White Sox were threatening to make a winner out of ace lefthander Chris Sale when Sano connected for his 14th home run. “The momentum changer was the home run, for us,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “I think when you are trailing and you have relinquished the lead, you know that if you can get back to even it takes a little of the pressure off because you are in your home park and you tie a game and you know you are going to get the last at-bat somewhere along the way. “So that was huge to get the home run to tie the game, then we put together a nice inning.” According to ESPN Stats and Info, Sano is one of four players in the last 10 seasons to hit 14 home runs through their first 50 games. And seven of Sano’s home runs have either tied the game of given the Twins the lead. “For me, he’s the next Miggy,” Escobar said. “Good discipline at the plate. He looks like a veteran guy, not a young guy.” Eduardo Escobar led off the eighth with a double and scored when White Sox reliever Zach Duke fielded Kurt Suzuki’s bunt and threw it down the line for an error. Byron Buxton batted and reached when Tyler Saladino let his grounder get through his legs and into left field. Suzuki scored on Joe Mauer’s single and Buxton scored on a shallow sacrifice fly - crossing the plate standing up - to put the Twins ahead 8-5. Glen Perkins gave up a run in the ninth but still picked up his 32nd save. Kevin Jepsen, 3-6, pitched a scoreless eighth inning to win his first game as a Twin. Sano scored the Twins first run in the second inning on Escobar’s single. Suzuki added an RBI single and Brian Dozier hit a two-run double as the Twins took a 4-0 lead on Sale, who entered the game 1-3 with a 6.46 ERA against the Twins this season. What caught Molitor’s eye was how Sano ran gingerly on his sore right hamstring as he went from first to second on a wild pitch, then to third on Eddie Rosario’s single. Sano has been told not to push things on the basepaths as he recovers. “It was the first time we’ve seen him run the bases with that leg injury and it concerns me somewhat,” Molitor said. “We’ve told him to be careful in terms of decision-making, but obviously it’s still bothering him a little bit and that is a concern.” Sano said he treats his hamstring 45 minutes before each game, and it is not bothering him that much. “I try not to run too fast,” Sano said. But if he keeps hitting home runs, he won’t have to worry about running hard. Souhan: Twins should roll the dice and call up Berrios Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | September 1, 2015 The first meaningful September game at Target Field since 2010 felt like the beginning of the last episode of a favorite serial TV show. You don’t know how it’s going to end or whether it will be renewed. Tuesday night, players wore presumptuous T-shirts welcoming the next month or two of baseball. September call-ups flooded the clubhouse, turning an often quiet space into what felt like a high school reunion. Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan answered questions about top pitching prospect Jose Berrios staying in Rochester instead of joining the big-league team. Then, Tyler Duffey — called up instead of Berrios a month ago — looked like one of the Twins’ most important players for this September, and perhaps many in the future, for exactly 4⅔ innings. While the Twins’ lineup continued its continuing mastery of the otherwise exceptional Chris Sale, Duffey teased and taunted the White Sox with a customizable curve and seemingly calmed nerves. Through those 4⅔ innings, Duffey looked like the ideal addition to a pitching staff – a pitcher with savvy and underrated stuff. Duffy not only got the call-up that might have gone to Berrios; he is well past the first-start nerves that Berrios would be subject to if he arrived this month. On Aug. 5 in Toronto, Duffey faced baseball’s most fearsome lineup and allowed six runs in two innings, earning a loss. Since then, Duffey has gone from a necessary call-up to a key figure in the Twins’ playoff chase. His performance Tuesday made a case for why Berrios should be called up, and why that might not work out too well. Duffey is 24. He pitched at a major college — well, Rice — before the Twins drafted him. If he’s going to be a good major league pitcher, he would probably start showing signs that he is ready at about this juncture of his career. Despite quality experience and an advanced age for a prospect, he got whacked in his big-league debut, and invited the White Sox back into the competition Tuesday after being staked to a 4-0 lead. 2 Duffey got the first two outs in the fifth inning, seemingly preserving that 4-0 lead. The next five batters reached base, three runs scored, and Neal Cotts was called in. One line drive at centerfielder Byron Buxton ended the inning. There is no question Berrios is the Twins’ best big-league-ready pitching prospect. He is 21. He has pitched in 70 innings above Class AA. He has averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game at Class AAA Rochester. His ERA is 2.67. Is he ready to pitch in a playoff race? The only honest answer is “maybe.’’ Should he be given a chance? Since Duffey’s debut, he has pitched well enough to stay in the rotation, despite his fifth-inning letdown on Tuesday. Tommy Milone is 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA. Kyle Gibson is 9-9 with a 3.82 ERA. Ervin Santana is coming off an excellent start. Mike Pelfrey has been unreliable of late, but Phil Hughes is coming off the disabled list soon. There is no guarantee that Berrios will pitch better in his big league debut than did Duffey. If Berrios didn’t replace Duffey in the rotation, he would have to replace a veteran big league pitcher. Berrios is close to his perceived innings limit on the season, even though Ryan wouldn’t specify what that limit is. He may be able to make only one or two starts before being shut down for the season. Should the Twins call him up? The best answer is a question. Why not? Why not call up Berrios, let him get used to the big leagues, get used to the pressure of a playoff race, and prepare himself to pitch should the need arise.